Dispensing valve having particular cleaning means



Jan. 11, 1966 D- T. PETERSON ETAL 3,228,412

DISPENSING VALVE HAVING PARTICULAR CLEANING MEANS Filed July 16, 1962 mma let T PgfErJoYL, QToe S -TJOfOkQq 4, 42,424, AM dd 6% Patented Jan.11, 1965 3,228,412 DISPENSENG VALVE HAVING PARTIULAR CLEANENG MEANSDonald T. Peterson and Joe F. Soroka, Rockford, 131.,

assiguors to Bartelt Engineering Company, 1112., Rockford, 113., acorporation of Delaware Filed July 16, 1962, Ser. No. 218,699 7 Claims.(Cl. 137-440) This invention relates to valves adapted for use inautomatic packaging machines to fill successive containers advanced stepby step by a conveyor which carries each container into a position underthe valve to be filled when the valve is opened. More particularly, theinvention relates to a valve for dispensing measured amounts of at leastpartially liquid material.

The object of the present invention is to provide novel and relativelysimple means for preventing delayed dripping of liquid from a valve ofthe above character after the valve is closed and during indexing of theconveyor thereby to avoid spattering of the packages, the packingmachine, and the adjacent work area.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which,

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of a packagingmachine embodying the novel features of the present invention with partsbroken away and shown in section.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG.1 with the parts in different positions.

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention isembodied in a valve 10 constituting part of an automatic packagingmachine (not shown) and operable to dispense measured amounts of atleast partially liquid material such as strawberries and their juice tobe packaged in bags 11 and frozen. The material is stored in a suitablehopper or tank (not shown) and delivered to the valve through a tube 12leading into the upper end of the valve body or housing 13, the valvebeing alternately opened and closed to permit a timed flow of materialthrough an orifice forming a discharge port 14 in the underside of thehousing. The bags 11 are advanced step by step in timed relation withthe operation of the valve by a conveyor (not shown) which carriessuccessive bags through a filling station in which the open upper endsof the bags are disposed below the discharge port to receive the chargesof material.

In this instance, the product is guided into the bags through a spout 15comprising two so-called clam-shell buckets 17 of channel-shapedcross-section opening toward each other and secured adjacent their upperends to parallel rock-shafts 18 journaled in a block 19 sup- I portedabove the conveyor on a slide 20. The latter is slidable vertically onrods 21 to raise and lower the spout between an upper position in whichthe spout is above the level of the bags on the conveyor and a loweredposition in which the tips of the buckets are inserted in the open endof a bag as shown in FIG. 1. When the spout is in the lowered positionand the buckets are spread apart to guide the material into the bag, thetips hold the bag open and protect the seal aeras 22 of the bag againstcontamination resulting from splattering of the product during filling.

After one bag is filled, the buckets are closed in a manner well knownto those skilled in the art and are raised out of the bag for movementof the next bag into a position to be filled. For faster filling, banksof spouts and valves may be used so that a plurality of bags are filledafter each indexing of the conveyor. In some applications, the materialmay be released directly into the packages from the discharge port ofthe valve without passing through a spout.

The valve 10 herein includes a cylindrical barrel or plug 23 journaledin the housing 13 for back and forth oscillation and formed with apassage 24 extending through the plug and opening radially outwardlythrough inlet and outlet ports 25 and 27 angularly spaced around theplug. The lower wall 28 of the housing is curved to fit closely againstthe underside of the plug. In one angular position of the plug, theoutlet port 27 is alined with the discharge port 14 and the inlet port25 is alined with a feeding port comprising the lower end 29 of apassage 30 communicating with the supply tube 12. Thus, in this positionof the plug, the valve is open and material flows through the dischargeport and into the bag positioned below the valve. To close the valve,the plug is turned in one direction or the other far enough to swing theports 25 and 27 out of alinement with housing ports 14 and 29.

In the present instance, the housing comprises a block formed with acylindrical bore 31 in which the plug is journaled with stub shafts 32and 33 projecting from the ends of the plug and into bearings 34 and 35in end plates 37 and 38 fastened to the sides of the block by screws 39.The feeding and discharge ports 29 and 14 are disposed above and belowthe plug, and the passage 24 is a diametrical bore through the plug. Anozzle 40 fastened to the underside of the housing is formed with a bore41 encircling the discharge port to direct the flow from the dischargeport into the spot 15.

To oscillate the plug 23 back and forth in timed relation with theadvance of the bags 11, the stub shaft 33 is projected through the endplate 38 and an arcuate gear segment 42 is mounted on the projecting endto be engaged by a rack 43 operated by a reciprocating power actuator44. Herein, the actuator takes the form of a piston (not shown) guidedin an air cylinder 45 with the rack 43 fast on the piston rod 47 forback and forth movement therewith. On O-ring 48 encircling the stubshaft 33 within a sleeve 49 intgeral with the plate 38 prevents leakageof liquid from the housing around the shaft.

As the piston rod moves endwise back and forth, the rack 43 oscillatesthe segment 42 and the plug 23 through an arc corresponding to thelength of the stroke of the stroke of the piston, this stroke beingsufiiciently long to turn the outlet port out of communication with thedischarge port as shown in FIG. 2. The actuator preferably operates witha snap action for precise control of the dispensed amounts. It will beevident that one actuator and one rack are capable of operating aplurality of similar valves mounted in a line.

When a solid material such as strawberries is included in the productbeing dispensed, it is desirable to provide a positive cutting action inthe closing of the valve. For this purpose, a knife edge is formed onthe plug around the outlet port 27 and the housing edge 46 defining thedischarge port 14 is shaped to cooperate with the knife edge in choppingoff any solid material disposed between the edges when the valve snapsclosed.

The present invention contemplates the provision of novel means forpreventing delayed dripping of liquid from the valve after the fiowthrough the valve is stopped and during indexing of the package conveyorthereby to prevent contamination of the seal areas 22 of packages movingunder the valve and also avoiding spattering of the packaging machineand the area around the machine. For this purpose, a jet 50 is providedon one side of the discharge port 14 to direct flow of gas, usually air,across the port immediately after closing of the valve. Accordingly, allloose material clinging to the exposed portion of the plug 23 or theadjacent portions of the housing is wiped away from the valve to fallinto the package below the valve, before the package or the spout ismoved, instead of dropping onto the floor, collecting on parts of themachine, or fouling one of the surfaces of the packages moving under thevalve.

In the present instance, two air jets 50 are provided and each comprisesa duct opening at one end into a tapped bore 51 in the outer side of thehousing and at the otherend into the discharge port 14 just above thewall 28 below the plug. Fittings 52 are threaded into the bores 51 andconnected to lines 53 communicating with a suitable source (not shown)of air under pressure. Preferably, air is supplied continuously throughthe lines 53 and the two ducts are positioned directly opposite eachother to provide a balanced air flow out through the nozzle. Airpressure of five to fifteen p.s.i. has been found to be satisfactory forstrawberries in juice.

To insure thorough cleaning of the entire exposed area of the plug 23,the ducts 50 open into the discharge port 14 as close to the peripheryof the plug as is possible without breaking the edge 46. Thus, the airflow passes across and close to the portions of the plug just above theducts as well as the portion in the middle of the port 14.

The nozzle bore 41 comprises a downwardly tapering conical wallterminating in a lower knife edge 54. With this form, there are nosurfaces within the nozzle to cause a product build-up therein, and thebalanced air flow through the nozzle is effective to wipe it free of alldrops that may tend to cling to the wall when the valve is closed. Thisflow also cleans knife edge 54.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that a valve constructed asdescribed herein is wiped clean of any loose material as soon as thevalve is closed so that the drops fall While the bags 11 are positionedto catch them. Thus, there is no delayed dripping from the valve and allspattering is avoided in a relatively simple and inexpensive manner.

We claim as our invention:

1. A valve for dispensing measured amounts of partially liquid andpartially solid material into containers beneath the valve, said valveincluding, in combination, a housing having a cylindrical chambertherein, a cylindrical plug journaled in said chamber with a close fitfor back and forth oscillation about .a generally horizontal axis, apassage extending through said plug and opening radially outwardlythrough angularly spaced inlet and outlet ports, said housing beingformed with angularly spaced feeding and discharge ports communicatingrespectively with said inlet and outlet ports in one angular position ofsaid plug, said discharge port opening downwardly through the undersideof said housing immediately beneath said plug, mechanism for oscillatingsaid plug into and out of said one angular position thereby to open andclose the valve, a knife edge on said plug around said outlet portcoacting with the edge of said housing defining said discharge port tochop off any solid material disposed in the discharge port as the valveis closed, a first jet disposed on one side of said discharge portbeneath the upper end of the latter and closely adjacent said housingedge, said jet being positioned to direct a flow of gas across thedischarge port and against the portion of said plug closing the port,and a second jet disposed on the opposite side of said discharge portclosely adjacent said housing edge for a second oppositely directed flowof gas across the port and the plug thereby to wipe drops of liquid fromthe plug and prevent delayed dripping of liquid from the valve.

2. A valve for dispensing measured amounts of at least partially liquidmaterial into containers beneath the valve, said valve including, incombination, a housing, a cylindrical plug journaled in said housing forback and forth oscillation between two angular positions and about agenerally horizontal axis, a passage extending through said plug andopening radially outwardly through inlet and outlet ports angularlyspaced around the plug, said housing having a cylindrical wall fittedagainst the underside of the plug and having a discharge port thereincommunicating with said outlet port in one of said angular positions,mechanism for oscillating said plug back and forth between said angularpositions to turn the passage into and out of communication with saiddischarge port thereby to open and close the valve, means for deliveringmaterial to said inlet port when said valve is open, and a jet on oneside of said discharge port beneath and closely adjacent saidcylindrical Wall and positioned to direct a flow of gas across thedischarge port and against the portion of said plug disposed across theport when said valve is closed thereby to wipe drops of liquid from theplug and prevent delayed dripping of liquid from the valve.

3. A valve for dispensing measured amounts of at least partially liquidmaterial into containers, said valve including, in combination, ahousing adapted to be disposed in a predetermined position and having apassage therein terminating in a discharge port in the underside of saidhousing when the latter is in said position, a member mounted on saidhousing for back and forth movement across said discharge port therebyto open and close the latter, said member having a portion lying acrosssaid discharge port when the latter is closed, a nozzle disposed aroundsaid discharge port and extending downwardly from said housing andadapted to direct the material into a container, and a jet on one sideof said discharge port closely adjacent the upper end of the latter andpositioned to direct a flow of gas laterally across the port along theportion of said member exposed in said port, and then downwardly throughsaid nozzle to wipe drops of liquid from the portion of said memberflying across the port when the valve is closed and from the interior ofthe nozzle whereby to prevent delayed dripping of liquid from the valve.

4. A valve as defined in claim 3 in which said nozzle interior isdefined by a downwardly tapering conical wall terminating in a lowerknife edge whereby the fiow of gas fro-m said jet and through saidnozzle effectively cleans the nozzle interior and said lower edge.

5. A valve for dispensing measured amounts of at least partially liquidmaterial into containers beneath the valve, said valve including, incombination, a housing mountable in a predetermined position and havinga discharge port in its lower wall in said predetermined position, amember mounted on said housing for back and forth movement across saidport and between two alternate positions with one side of said memberfitted closely against and sliding along said one wall, a passagethrough said member communicating with said discharge port in only oneof said positions whereby said member extends across and closes the portin the other position, and a jet on one side of said discharge port andpositioned to direct a flow of gas laterally across the port and alongthe portion of said member closing the port in said other positionthereby to wipe drops of liquid from the member and prevent delayeddripping of liquid from the valve.

6. A valve as defined in claim 5 including a second jet disposed on theopposite side of said port and positioned to direct a second flow of gasacross the port and along said member.

7. A valve as defined in claim 6 further including a. nozzle projectingdownwardly from said discharge port 5 6 to guide said material intocontainers, said nozzle ter- 2,688,423 9/ 1954 Davis 222148 XR minatingin a lower knife edge whereby the gas from 3,003,755 10/ 1961 Peras239601 X said jets, after wiping said member, flows downwardly 3,133,5545/1964 Joebken 137240 through said nozzle and effectively cleans thelatter.

5 FOREIGN PATENTS Reference! Cited by the Examiner 194,366 1/ 1958Austria. UNITED STATES PATENTS 579,544 10/1924 France. 967,460 8/1910Straub 137242 2 31 3 5 1943 Scott 137 240 ISADOR WEIL, P ry Exalniner-

3. A VALVE FOR DISPENSING MEASURED AMOUNTS OF AT LEAST PARTIALLY LIQUIDMATERIAL INTO CONTAINERS, SAID VALVE INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION, AHOUSING ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION AND HAVING APASSAGE THEREIN TERMINATING IN A DISCHARGE PORT IN THE UNDERSIDE OF SAIDHOUSING WHEN THE LATTER IS IN SAID POSITION, A MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAIDHOUSING FOR BACK AND FORTH MOVEMENT ACROSS SAID DISCHARGE PORT THEREBYTO OPEN AND CLOSE THE LATTER, SAID MEMBER HAVING A PORTION LYING ACROSSSAID DISCHARGE PORT WHEN THE LATTER IS CLOSED, A NOZZLE DISPOSED AROUNDSAID DISCHARGE PORT AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID HOUSING ANDADAPTED TO DIRECT THE MATERIAL INTO A